Read A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love Youby Amy Bloom Online

Transcendent stories: about the uncertain gestures of love, about the betrayals and gifts of the body, about the surprises and bounties of the heart, and about what comes to us unbidden and what we choose.A great short story has the emotional depth and intensity of a poem and the wholeness and breadth of a novel. Amy Bloom writes great short stories. Her first collection,Transcendent stories: about the uncertain gestures of love, about the betrayals and gifts of the body, about the surprises and bounties of the heart, and about what comes to us unbidden and what we choose.A great short story has the emotional depth and intensity of a poem and the wholeness and breadth of a novel. Amy Bloom writes great short stories. Her first collection, Come to Me, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and here she deepens and extends her mastery of the form.Real people inhabit these pages, the people we know and are, the people we long to be and are afraid to be: a mother and her brave, smart little girl, each coming to terms with the looming knowledge that the little girl will become a man; a wildly unreliable narrator bent on convincing us that her stories are not harmless; a woman with breast cancer, a frightened husband, and a best friend, all discovering that their lifelong triangle is not what they imagined; a man and his stepmother engaged in a complicated dance of memory, anger, and forgiveness. Amy Bloom takes us straight to the center of these lives with rare generosity and sublime wit, in flawless prose that is by turns sensuous, spare, heartbreaking, and laugh-out-loud funny.These are transcendent stories: about the uncertain gestures of love, about the betrayals and gifts of the body, about the surprises and bounties of the heart, and about what comes to us unbidden and what we choose....

once i was answering phones at small business that did catalog sales, and someone called to make an order and said her name was amy bloom. and i said, not the famous writer amy bloom? and there was this long pause, and then she sort of chortled and said, well, yes, i guess it is.she stayed on the line and talked to me for five or ten minutes about writing. she was so lovely. if i hadn't already read all her stories, i'd have gone out and bought them on the strength of what she had to say about her process. her work isn't my favorite in the world, but it's so consistently touching that i'm humbled by it.

Rebecca2018-11-03 13:53

This is the kind of collection that makes people hate short stories. Bogged down with all kind of typical, unspecific tragedy--a dead baby story, of course, because you couldn't possibly be a successful female American story writer without one of those in your bag, breast cancer story, TWO improbable and dishonest I-slept-with-my-stepmother stories (?), and a few more cancer/Parkinson's/someone died stories. What is frustrating about this isn't that these aren't worthy topics for fiction--they are. But these topics are also very familiar territory for the short story form, and if you are going to go into that familiar territory, I think you better have a good reason--such as, I have something very weird and interesting to observe about the emotions of this character in this situation. And that applies to only one of these stories--the final one, called "The Story." This is the kind of collection that makes me feel bleak and completely isolated from what, apparently, most people enjoy reading.

Thomas2018-11-20 10:12

3.5 starsViolent with grief. That's the phrase I kept coming back to while reading Amy Bloom's short stories. In "Rowing to Eden," a woman with breast cancer calls her nurse a "stupid bitch" because of her clumsiness with a needle. In "Hold Tight," Della deals with the death of her mother, and in the process she thinks about how her friends argue with their moms about stupid things like boys and clothes - Della wishes she could "stab them to death." A mother watches her son go through sex reassignment surgery, criticizing everyone around her while coping with her pain.I loved the brutal honesty in Bloom's short stories. She shows people at their weakest and cruelest, fighting against illness and crippled by grief. Her characters come alive right away - they react to bad news with anger, sadness, and a gamut of emotions other authors tend to shy away from. From unreliable narrators to cheating spouses to somewhat incestuous relationships, Bloom throws her characters into extreme scenarios and forces them to survive.I wanted more depth from a few of the stories. While I connected with the emotional complexity of "Stars at Elbow and Foot," my favorite story in the collection, I felt like some of the stories ended right when I got a grasp of the characters, such as "Lionel and Julia" and "Hold Tight." Still, Bloom's experience as a psychotherapist shows through her penchant for creating vivid, three-dimensional characters.

Amber2018-11-07 12:04

A collection of terribly, terribly sad short stories. Puts death and angst in perspective. Made me want to line up every member of my family and hug each one of them, then watch them hug each other. At knife point, of course.

Dan2018-10-30 10:57

I feel actors should read this book because I've never read stories with such clear, complete characterizations. And its not simply descriptive - from the very beginning it's as though the characters appear right before you; like really great actors have seeped themselves in their roles and made all the right choices. My only problem is the stories are SO devastating that it's difficult for me to go on to the next story.

Carrie Schindele Cupples2018-11-15 10:14

Yes, these are very sad stories. But Amy Bloom seems to write about sadness in a revelatory way, rather than join-me-here-in-this-mucky-mess-of-desperation. The story "The Story" is so excellent, I was happy I read all the way through the collection to finally end on this sentence: "I have made the best and happiest ending that I can in this world, made it out of the flax and netting and leftover trim of someone else's life, I know, but made it to keep the innocent safe and the guilty punished, and I have made it as the world should be and not as I have found it."

Coral Rose2018-11-05 14:02

Amy Bloom. I have never read anything of hers before. I mean, I worked at a bookstore at the height of her Away's popularity, but I never did much more than crack the cover and read the book jacket. So why I chose this collection (A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You) of her short stories to start with, I'm not entirely sure. The first story is about a mother's love extending to her daughter as the girl becomes her son. I had just finished this when someone (at a gathering of J's family) asked me what I was reading and if I liked it. I wasn't sure what to say to a woman whose favorite books include all of Dan Brown's novels. I said I wasn't sure.I kept reading. The dark family secret that divides a family and drives a stepson and his stepmother to quietly struggle through quiet family moments. The mistress unsure what to do with her dying lover's family. The mourning mother struggling to love the most unloveable child she can find. Such twisted, unhealthy, subnormal love, written with such beautiful sentences. I didn't know whether I loved or hated it I felt so disturbed. (Can no one with within healthy boundaries?)But.The last story. Not really a story so much as the deconstruction of a story. The deconstruction of a story into bits and pieces so believable I just looked Amy Bloom up online to see if that was actually her story. That story was worth the whole book. Let me see if I can explain.The very first image Bloom gives us in Story is that of the declining house market. She describes how the homeowners for sale signs become more and more desperate, more blunt, and then she says "I have thought that I could buy that house." The narrator is talking about the house that no one wants, whose owners are desperate to have off their hands...and then she tells us a pretty story about how she would live in that house no one wanted. Then we are told a story about a neighbor couple and their daughter, which she revises, taking out all the pretty details, and then revises further, adding grotesque features to both their marriage and her place in its demise. When the story finishes, we find "Amy" the narrator who is but isn't Bloom herself, living in that house [marriage:] that she perceived as unwanted, even though she had to reduce it to its most desperate to make room for herself in it.It's a terrible image. An awful, uncomfortable story. But SO beautifully written, with lines like this:There is no such thing as a good writer and a bad liar.I don't know. I both wanted to give this book five stars and one star. I think I'll go read something happy now.

tee2018-11-15 15:14

I really like Amy Bloom's writing. I discovered her via The L Word, she was mentioned by Jenny in one of the episodes. I looked her site up and read some excerpts from her short stories and knew I wanted to read more of her work. Bloom has a comfortable, conversational way of telling a story. I'm not one for short stories, whether they're good or bad. Bad short stories because they're a waste of time, and good short stories - because you want them to be more than just a short story. This is how I felt about this collection of Bloom's. The characters are intense and feel so real within a few pages that you almost feel like you know them. The first story 'A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You' was my favourite and I almost wish that she had fleshed this one out into a full length novel. The characters were 3D, flawed and fabulous. With short stories, I usually read one of them from beginning to end and leave some time until I read the next, because I have a tendency to mix characters and get confused. With Bloom's stories, I find that I can chew through the entire collection and not have this problem. She takes on fresh approaches to each piece, the people are unique and the subject matters are complex (though rather distressing). I loved each story in this book for varying reasons. Bloom is a bold, fearless writer and so far, I love everything about her writing.

Ronald Wise2018-10-29 09:58

Each of these short stories seemed to eventually focus on a love relationship, whether or not it was obvious, socially sanctioned, or even desired. Perhaps the author's previous work as a social worker and psychotherapist had broadened her awareness of the unusual types of relationships.These stories were generally not celebrations of love. In fact, there seemed to be an overall sense of melancholy resignation, with this attitude perceived in the characters, often before the reader knows why. Understanding the characters required some concentration, with some of the stories ending just as I felt I was getting to know them. I was pleasantly surprised that one of the stories was a continuation of the one before, allowing me to see where the plot in the former had eventually led with familiar characters.I keep thinking about the phrase used as the title for this book: "A blind man can see how much I love you." I originally assumed it referred to obvious love. After reading this book, I believe it may be in reference to the acuteness of the non-visual senses attributed to blind people, as the amorous relationships herein tended to be disguised to outward appearances, but were obvious in other ways.

Jenny2018-10-29 09:00

This collection was a finalist for the national book critics circle award and the back jacket was full of lines of praise from the New Yorker and the New York Times, but I didn't connect with the stories. I felt like they were written with a lot of polish and there was a lot of cleverness in the stories, but it all felt pretty glib to me and I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters emotionally. They seemed empty to me, shiny but without substance. I don't know. I guess lots of other people liked the collection but it wasn't for me.....

Julie2018-10-21 12:54

I can understand why other reviewers seem to either love or hate Amy Bloom's collection of short stories. The characters face aberration and tragic life circumstances at every turn and in large doses this can be overwhelming for casual reading. Taken one at a time, these are little pearls with inner dialogs that open the reader to an appreciation of the human capacity for unconditional love. Go for it. You'll be forced to think about "what-would-you-do-in-the-same-situation" and that is always a good result of taking a chance on a book cover at the library.

Teresa2018-11-18 15:51

Amy Bloom is a powerful writer, and these short stories take your breath away. Her writing is spare, so reminds me of Raymond Carver, but she's writing from a woman's eye and these stories make your heart ache. Fabulous if you like short stories. Not for someone looking for a light read.

Vivienne Strauss2018-10-26 11:13

I don't even know what I can say about this book to do it justice. Each story was so moving, some left me breathless, others like sharp talons were tearing at my heart.

Laura2018-11-03 12:56

Such exquisite writing, great craft and story telling skill. Sigh.

William2018-11-14 09:53

Solid throughout.

Rachel2018-10-26 11:14

I'm torn on the rating for this collection for several reasons. The first of which is that I randomly picked this book of my sister-in-law's bookshelf and started reading without checking the synopsis. I assumed that it was a novel, so I was disappointed when the characters completely changed in the second "chapter," and I just kept wondering when we'd return to them. Obviously we never did because this is a collection of short stories, not a novel.But this brings me to my main criticism, which is more to do with me. I don't understand the modern short story. The endings feel completely arbitrary to me, and I didn't feel as though I really understood anything more about the characters' lives than I did at the beginning of the stories.However, the character building is amazing. Bloom really understands her characters and that's why I wanted more. I wasn't quite done with them when the story was finished.Apart from the last story; that one I did not particularly enjoy and was sad to finish the collection on that note.I'm still giving the collection a four-star review because the writing is gorgeous and when I've forgotten about the collection, I want to remember that I enjoy this author's writing and hope to read more of her in the future.

Penelope2018-11-01 17:15

I only wish there were more stories in this book.All of these stories are about love, but not in a simplistic or sappy way and, generally, not at all in a "happy" way even. More like, a cynical complex way. Stories like "The Gates Are Closing" or "Night Vision"/"Light Into Dark" almost seem too far out to reflect real relationships...but Bloom's characters are so well crafted, it feels like it could be real (and, the world is full of stranger things, I guess). In each of these stories, Bloom captures a sliver of the beauty of love, a slightly different angle, surrounded by the complex web of emotions that exist around it...changing the way it looks and feels.I liked all the stories, but I think the title story was my favorite.

Sue2018-11-11 09:46

This book was recommended by Nora Ephron on Oprah's website. I really enjoyed it. Each story was about love - most were romantic, but one about the love between a mother and her daughter - but all of the characters are flawed. The loves described are all just a little bit left of centre, but I still found myself seeing a bit of me in each character. Very well written - I'd even read it again.

Kristin2018-11-02 14:59

All so sad. But still ... would have kept reading.

Amanda Cantu2018-11-16 09:12

VERY DISAPPOINTING

Angelic2018-11-17 13:52

All of the stories in this collection were good, but the author saved the best for last. A great quick read!

Suzanne2018-11-17 11:53

I admit it took me a few stories to get into this collection, which could be subtitled "People Acting Inappropriately." A husband of a cancer victim cannot bear to see her mastectomy scar, but asks her best friend to see hers, a woman grieving the loss of a baby, finds a strange way to cope, a writer seeks a happy ending for her own life; all are struggling with blinding loss and some much sought relief. These gut wrenching stories often hit a nerve with me, and I took a deep breath when they were done.

Gre Mar2018-10-23 08:46

interesting

Asho2018-11-07 16:07

I don't often read short stories, but I thought I would make an exception for this collection by Amy Bloom. I found it for a dollar at a library book sale and figured for that price I couldn't go wrong.Reading this, I remembered why short stories just don't really do it for me. I actually like thick, detailed description and rambling back story, something you just don't get in the short story genre. I feel like short stories require a lot of assumption and reading between the lines, and I suppose I'm just a reader who prefers everything more fleshed out for me. Maybe deep down I'm a lazy reader? I don't want to work that hard! Whenever I read a short story I end up feeling like I'm back in a college English class preparing to do a close reading, and I would just rather...not.Having said all of that, I do think Bloom has mastered the art of the short story. You learn a ton about the characters in very few words. Her sentences beg to be re-read and her writing style encourages careful, thoughtful reading. I would say that the theme of this collection is gender issues and/or sexual relationships that are in some way taboo, but descriptions aren't gratuitous and the subjects are handled delicately and thoughtfully (for the most part).I do wish some of these stories were written in a longer novel form. I know I would enjoy them more that way. I also could have used a break from moribund characters and heavy subject matter. This collection is not exactly uplifting. On the whole, I think I am not quite as enamored of Bloom as the critics are, but I don't regret the time I have spent reading this collection and her novel Away.

Eliza Victoria2018-11-20 08:52

I can't quite articulate how much I loved these stories, how much I admired the level of craft on display here. Characterizations are sharp, and descriptions are precise and concise. It is amazing. Consider this excerpt:The summer Jessie Spencer turned five, she played Capture the Flag every day with the big boys, the almost-six-year-olds who'd gone to kindergarten a year late. Jane never worried, even in passing, about Jesse's IQ or her eye-hand coordination or her social skills. Jesse and Jane were a mutual admiration society of two smart, strong, blue-eyed women, one five and one thirty-five, both good skaters and good singers and good storytellers. Jane didn't mention all this to the other mothers at play group, who would have said it was the same between them and their daughters when Jane could see it was not, and she didn't mention it to her own sweet, anxious mother, who would have taken it, understandably, as a reproach. Jane didn't even mention this closeness to the pediatrician, keeper of every mother's secret fears and wishes, but it sang her to sleep at night. Jane's reputation as the play group's good listener was undeserved; the mothers talked about their knock-kneed girls and backward boys and Jane smiled and her eyes followed Jesse. She watched her and thought, That smile! Those lashes! How brave! How determined!That single paragraph (the second paragraph in the first story) made me sit up and take notice.

Ruby2018-11-01 15:01

A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You contains eight stories. The first seven of these (with perhaps the exception of Light Into Dark, but I'll come to that) are similar in the way that they start out somewhat slowly, some begin even slightly tedious - such as the opening title story - but by the end it is as if you have been kicked in the stomach. Somewhere you form an attachment and it's complete and it's stunning. Bloom's language is simple, but it conveys, completely. The aforementioned Light Into Dark has less of an effect; it undoes the vague, dreamlike quality of its accompanying story Night Vision - it explains things that were stronger unexplained. But it's still a good story. As are all of them, really. They are devasting, they are infuriating in their humanity and that is lovely.The Story is the last story in this collection, in which a woman rewrites her own life. While it has strong images and a beautiful consciousness of the writing process that reminded me of Lydia Davis's The End of the Story, it also seemed to upset the mood of the collection as a whole for me. It did not belong. However, there is not a single story here that is not worth reading. Yes, more Amy Bloom, please.

Lili2018-11-19 17:13

Definitely like this short story collection better than Where the God of Love Hangs Out by the same author. I originally read this for a graduate class about ten years ago, but I'm glad that I decided to read it again with her newest collection so fresh in my mind. Only two of the stories are interlaced, which means that the collection has a much wider variety of character, perspective, setting and subject matter. They all seem to leave the reader thinking, concerned whether everything will be okay. None have that "deus ex machina" happy ending (which I hate). Overall, these stories feel like they open deeper wounds and leave them grossly raw. Each story seems to start in the middle of the situation, then forces the reader to figure out what is going on; each provides an inkling of how the situation will work out, but stops just short of giving the reader a good feeling that it will actually work out. The collection is much better than I remember it, probably because I only remember the shocking aspects of lead story. Reading the collection now, that isn't the most shocking or the most memorable story in the book.

Savannah Jane2018-10-23 08:52

In her collection of eight short stories, A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You, Amy Bloom tackles the often disregarded, often taboo imperfections of middle-age life. Though every story is either outright devastating or minimally melancholy, Bloom brings her readers through the motions of loss and revival (which in the writing turn out to become one in the same), shame and guilt, nostalgia and fear. Bloom is able to master the most difficult aspect of writing short stories: the meticulous crafting of characters in a short amount of a time in such a way that readers respond wholeheartedly to their every move and hang on their every word. I fell in love with these characters eight times over. Often times I was so heartbroken for the story to end that I was desperate for a full-length novel where Bloom's characters could continue to evolve and work through their issues. Other times, though, I was content in the quiet, shortlived simplicity of their very being. Truthfully, A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You is a heartbreaking account of the sad realities we all go through come middle-age and beyond. Still being a teenager, I've been provided insight on the rough road ahead; and yet I don't feel scared. I feel hopeful.

Katherine2018-10-30 13:52

Someone highly recommended me this book for its beautiful writing and short stories. I will say that the writing is quite nice and unique in some ways, but all these short stories were such downers. They all encompassed someone on terminal illness or dead in some way, and after reading a book about a husband dying of cancer, I really needed a break from the death/sickness genre. These stories also carry some weird and in some cases, incestuous plots that didn't make it any more interesting. Needless to say that all these short stories left without any conclusive sentiment, which easily had me clueless to have a feeling around these stories. The best story for me was the last one called "The Story" - which was a good way to end the book because I literally felt I couldn't take it anymore. All that said, I am quite intrigued about the person who recommended me this book, because I do believe you need a certain taste to really love these short stories. I didn't hate these stories, but they were a little out of my comfort zone.

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About the author

Amy Bloom - Amy Bloom is the author of "Come to Me," a National Book Award finalist; "A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You," nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award; "Love Invents Us"; and "Normal." Her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Prize Short Stories, The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, and many other anthologies here and abroad. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, Slate, and Salon, among other publications, and has won a National Magazine Award. Bloom teaches creative writing at Yale University.

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